Saint Paul - Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Larry M. Collins to a Third Judicial District trial court bench vacancy in the city of Waseca in Waseca County.  The vacancy occurred with the resignation, on June 9, 2005, of the Honorable Renee L. Worke to accept an appointment to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.  Sixteen people applied for this position.

Collins is the Waseca County attorney, a position he has held since 1978.  He worked in the law school division at West Publishing Company in St. Paul from 1976 to 1978, was an assistant Rochester city attorney from 1974 to 1976 and a Third Judicial District law clerk in Rochester from 1973 to 1974.  Collins earned his juris doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1972 and his bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1969.

"Larry has served the citizens of Waseca very well as their county attorney for 27 years," Governor Pawlenty said.  "He has the experience, leadership skills, community involvement, and the demeanor to be an exceptional judge."

Collins is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Minnesota County Attorneys Association, National District Attorneys Association, and the Waseca County Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and has been a member of the Waseca County Emergency Management Services Advisory Committee, Children's Justice Initiative, Waseca County Child Protection Team, and the Waseca County Vulnerable Adult Team.  He has also served as a mock trial judge, and a Waseca youth hockey and soccer coach.

Collins, 58, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in Waseca, where he resides with his wife, Diane.  They have two children, Shayna, 21, and Blake, 16.